Despite being well into his eighties, Raleigh was as sharp and energetic as ever, his voice still carrying effortlessly through the room. The moment he spoke, the atmosphere seemed to hush, as if his words had pressed pause on the evening. All around, heads turned their eyes homing in on Jarrod, suspicion flickering in their glances.

It wasn’t just curiosity; it was genuine surprise.

Jarrod, however, looked entirely unfazed by Raleigh’s question.

He drummed his fingers loosely on the back of his chair. “My wife, you say?”

Even Elodie couldn’t hide her surprise at how things had suddenly turned. She had no idea why Raleigh would ask such a thing. Divorce or not, with or without that confidentiality agreement about their past marriage, the last thing she wanted was to have their former relationship dragged into the open. Instinctively, her brow knit tight, frustration clouding her eyes.

And then, just as she looked up, her gaze collided with Jarrod’s.

He glanced over, almost carelessly, but that single look made her fingers curl unconsciously against her palm. She hated this-being thrust under the spotlight, as if someone had yanked the rug out from beneath her.

But Jarrod’s attention didn’t linger. He offered only that fleeting glance before turning back to Raleigh with a faint, detached smile, waiting for what would come next.

Raleigh squinted at him. “Jarrod, weren’t you married before?”

Even Elias, who had been half-distracted, looked up-clearly caught off guard by such a revelation.

A ripple of shock ran through the gathering. “Mr. Silverstein? Married? Since when?”

“How come no one ever heard about it?”

“Is Mrs. Silverstein here tonight? Someone we know, perhaps…”

Jarrod listened to the murmurs swirling around him, his expression unchanged.

He looked Raleigh straight in the eye, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Then tell me, sir, just where is this wife of mine?”

He was clearly joking-or, perhaps, denying it outright.

Raleigh’s expression shifted, and almost involuntarily, he glanced toward Henrietta.

She didn’t hide her displeasure, her face stony as she shot Jarrod a withering look before turning sharply and leaving the room. So much for a pleasant evening- ruined, just like that.

Octavia, on her way to check on the older woman, raised an eyebrow, shooting Elodie a knowing smile and a shrug that said, “What did you expect?”

Elodie, for her part, thought Jarrod had handled it as well as anyone could, and, frankly, she was relieved he hadn’t said more. The last thing she wanted was to become fodder for endless gossip as “Jarrod’s ex.” That was never the life she wanted.

And it was obvious Jarrod wasn’t about to let anyone probe deeper. He’d shut the topic down quickly; any further digging would only drag someone else into the spotlight, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

Maurice and Joseph had both been startled by the sudden turn, but Maurice recovered first. Slipping an arm around Jarrod’s shoulder, he glanced over at the retreating Henrietta, then beamed at the crowd. “Let’s not take it too seriously, folks. Just a bit of banter, nothing more. Our Mr. Silverstein here of course he likes the idea of a happy home and family. He’s just…not quite there yet, that’s all.”

He was in his element, the consummate host, leaving just enough unsaid to keep people guessing. The ambiguity worked; it could mean anything, depending on who was listening.

Sure enough, those who’d been eavesdropping laughed knowingly.

“We get it, we get it!”

“Maybe you’ll be next down the aisle, Mr. Silverstein?”

Joseph shot Jarrod a concerned look, then glanced at Elodie-who, pointedly, stayed as far from Jarrod as possible. Joseph wished things were different. With Jarrod refusing to acknowledge anything, did Elodie feel exposed, or maybe even humiliated?

But Jarrod didn’t respond to any more questions; he simply let the topic die.

Elodie, meanwhile, gave a dry, almost cynical smile, as if none of this had anything to do with her. All that effort to protect Sylvie’s reputation, to keep up appearances.

Elias happened to catch that fleeting expression on her face, and it gave him pause. Leaning over to Raleigh, he whispered, “Granddad, this really is Mr. Silverstein’s private business. Best we stay out of it.”

Raleigh frowned, a flicker of something complicated in his eyes. He looked at Jarrod once more but didn’t push further. After all, the man himself had denied it.

Jarrod, for his part, seemed utterly unbothered. He moved smoothly through the crowd, chatting with guests as though nothing had happened.

Elodie didn’t look back, nor did she join Jarrod at the head table. Linsey tried to stop her, but Elodie had already found a seat elsewhere.